A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail

Home , Amarillo Sod Poodles, Blanco Canyon, Charles Goodnight, Comanchero, Llano Estacado, Rave On Buddy Holly

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail 50th ANNIVERSARY CARAVAN July 29-31, 2019 We’re thrilled you’re able to come along with us Fifty years later, a few on the Texas Plains Trail 50th Anniversary Caravan things have changed. Even to kick off our second half century of heritage tour- the map — which in 1968 ism in the Lone Star State! didn’t have, for instance, Here’s how the original 1968 “Ride the Texas the full Loop 289 in Lub- Plains Trail” map and brochure produced by the bock (1972); the complet- Texas Highway Department described the part of ed Interstate 27 (1992); the state we’ll be seeing: Caprock Canyons State Park (1984); the restored The Texas Plains Trail spans a vast area of Charles Goodnight House the High Plains region of Texas. The tableland (2012); or the Route 66 is called the Llano Estacado, an ancient Spanish National Historic District term generally interpreted to mean “ staked in Amarillo (1994). plains.” Much of the Trail slices through what These changes have residents call the “Golden Spread,” a reference led us to make a few to this immensely rich agricultural, mineral minor departures from the exact 1968 Texas Travel and industrial region. Geographically this is the Trail map. southernmost extension of the Great Plains of The city population figures from 1968 have the United States. changed a lot, with major cities gaining population Once the entire plains were grasslands. and many smaller ones losing some. Our demo- Not a fence, not a single tree or shrub grew on graphic makeup has shifted, and so have our per- the tablelands-—only grass, as trackless as the ceptions of the indigenous and immigrant peoples sea. A branch of the Great Comanche War Trail swept across the expanse, and herds of buffalo who have successively called this region home. wandered at will. Man wiped out the buffalo Wind energy has changed the landscape; dairy and overstocked the range with cattle. Grazed farming has grown more important than beef cattle too closely by cattle confined within fences, raising in some parts of the region; our region’s two the immensely valuable tall native grasses were international airports have been renamed in mem- destroyed, leaving only the less desirable short ory of Texas astronauts lost in shuttle missions. The species. TEXAS Outdoor Musical has undergone numerous Travelers on the High Plains can be sure of dramatic shifts in its presentation over more than one rule: the land will be nearly table-flat except a half century, and we’re fortunate to be among the where it has been disturbed by erosive influenc- first to witness a new iteration this season. es. And therein lies some of the greatest geo- Other things, fortunately, haven’t changed. graphical drama of the plains, because erosion “Texas friendly” continues to be a way of life out has carved spectacular canyon landscapes. here on the Plains and in the Panhandle, between The starting point is the city of Lubbock, neighbors or when greeting newcomers. The cost of major metropolitan area on the Trail. The route living here and visit here is still a comparative bar- description is then presented in a clockwise gain. And a diligent work ethic, a positive outlook, direction. However, the Trail is designed so that and an appreciation for sky and land prevail. it may be started at any point along the way, and That’s what we’re here to experience, and it may be driven in either direction by carefully to exemplify, in the coming three days. As we ask consulting the accompanying map and descrip- traveling mercies from the greater powers of our tive copy. See map legend for information about universe, let us travel safely, learn much, and enjoy special Trail signs and arrows. the journey!

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 2 MONDAY, JULY 29 LUBBOCK

START 8:00 a.m. The population of Lubbock was 128,000 in 1968 — and by 2018 it Lubbock Lake Landmark, had doubled to 256,000. Much of Lubbock’s growth is a result of mi- 2401 Landmark Dr. Lubbock gration from surrounding smaller communities. Texas Tech Univer- sity and other institutions of higher learning have attracted students Lubbock city council member who have stayed for jobs in the medical, school, government, energy, Randy Christian; County Judge and retail sectors, as well as a vibrant culture and society. Curtis Parrish on hand. Carl In 1968 Texas Tech’s enrollment was 16,000; today it’s more than C. Williams, retired Brewster 36,000. But when the Lubbock MSA population hit 300,000 in 2010, County sheriff who escorted the culture shifted. Traffic and urban schools effected a cultural shift, Gov. John Connally on the and the population of bedroom communities built around school original 1968 Texas Mountain districts grew exponentially. Wolfforthwith its Frenship School Dis- Trail Caravan, will also be par- trict, 12 miles southwest of Lubbock, has 10,000 students attending ticipating on Monday. Brief talk a dozen schools. Twelve miles due south of Lubbock is the Lubbock by Deborah Bigness or Elieen Cooper School District, in the town of Woodrow. With 6,500 students Johnson. it’s the second fastest growing school district in the State of Texas. Llano Estacado is not only the name of a very good winery— We’ll have a quick bite of break- founded in Lubbock, the birthplace of the Texas plains viticulture fast, a talk by Landmark staff, movement in 1973, but it is also a region in the Southwestern United and a well-wishing sendoff by States that encompasses parts of eastern New Mexico and north- local officials. western Texas, one of the largest mesas, or tablelands, on the North American continent. Its long history is documented at our starting point.

AN ANCIENT WATERING HOLE Lubbock Lake National Historic Landmark is a unique archaeo- logical site— the only one in North America that preserves a com- plete record of nearly 12,000 years of human history located in one place, and uncovered by scientists. It is also a natural history preserve containing over four miles of hiking trails through 300 acres of restored prairie on the Southern High Plains. Exhibits in the Nash Interpretive Center highlight cultural changes across time and introduce visitors to the scientific process- es used in building this important cultural and geologic narrative. Research at the site has been ongoing for over 80 years and continues every summer with the public treated to guided tours during special events.

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 3 FOLLOW LUBBOCK MAP Lubbock, birthplace of 20th century rockabilly icon Buddy Holly, understands that history is often in the details. The city’s Buddy Holly Drive down Indiana Ave. and Center exhibits many personal items that once belonged to the sing- turn east to pass MOTTU, er-songwriter including his guitars and the glasses he wore during his NRHC, Tech campus; on to fatal 1959 plane crash. Across town in Lubbock’s National Ranching LHUCA district and turn south Heritage Center are thirty-eight restored ranch and pioneer struc- on Ave. J then east on Broad- tures where annual Ranch Days feature living history demonstrations way; on to Canyon Lakes, drive of frontier skills that were once used every day. The Museum of Tex- through Bayer Museum of as Tech University also knows all about details with more than two Agriculture to see cottage and million items in its collection. Dinosaur bones, historic photos, and Underwood car, and on through artifacts provide the curious and inquiring mind with an idea of the Windmill Museum grounds. region’s recent and distant pasts. Don’t spend all your time grounded, however. Look up in the sky and witness over one hundred vintage Approx. 10 miles total windmills at the American Wind Power Center and Museum. Learn how a simple ranch windmill works or get complicated and explore the technology behind today’s giant wind turbines and wind energy production. TheBayer Museum of Agriculture, founded more than four decades ago and expanded in 2012, houses not only farming imple- ments and exhibits, but a wealth of educational information — and the fully restored Underwood Pullman Rail Car, which figured influ- entially in the rise of the inland cotton industry on the South Plains.

IN LUBBOCK RAVE ON: Buddy Holly holds a prominent place in the music heri- Travel via MLK Jr. Blvd. to City tage of Lubbock, Texas — and the rock ’n’ roll world. The Buddy Holly Cemetery (2011 E. 31st St, Lub- Center is located in the historic Depot Entertainment District in the bock, TX 79404, Buddy Holly former Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway freight depot. grave) Permanent exhibits, from items crafted by a young Buddy Holley to artifacts from his musical career, from the famous eyeglasses to be- Approx. 2 miles longings retrieved from the tragic Feb. 3, 1959, airplane crash are on display amid interactive features and Holly’s music. Buddy Holly — born Holley — is buried in the Lubbock City Cemetery, where fans come to pay their respects especially on Febru- ary 3, “the day the music died.”

TO RANSOM CANYON Travel out to Southwest Drive BUFFALO SPRINGS/RANSOM CANYON and FM 835 Buffalo Springs Lake is a natural, spring-fed oasis nestled in beauti- Approx. 18 miles ful Yellow House Canyon on one of the forks of the Brazos River. Here, where nomadic Indians once camped, thousands of families escape yearly to quench their thirst for fun in the sun. Camping is available at the lake’s public recreation area. Bird watchers, bring your binocu- lars and enjoy the Audubon Society Nature Trail. Enjoy a picnic right beside the Lake at one of our many picnic areas, highlighted with abundant shade, clean facilities and unspoiled surroundings. Lake Ransom Canyon community adopted its name from the term “Rescate Canyon” (meaning “reclaimed”) that the Comanchero traders from New Mexico applied to the geographical feature of the

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 4 A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 5 broad and deep canyon cut by the river that flowed south from where Mackenzie Park in Lubbock stands today. In the 18th and 19th cen- turies, New Mexico traders from Pueblo villages in their oxen-pulled wooden carts traveled up Rescate Canyon to meet with Comanche Indians to conduct trade. They exchanged their corn meal, baked bread, and vermilion, for the Comanches’ buffalo robes and tallow. In later years, these exchanges also included cattle and horses stolen by Comanches which Comancheros then traded to stock dealers in the Far West, and people kidnapped by the Comanches that the Coman- cheros would ransom back to their kin. ”Rescate Canyon” appears so named on 1870-era military maps, then later became referenced as “Yellowhouse Canyon” and today appears labeled on maps as the channel through which flows the “North Fork Double Mountain Fork Brazos River.” Though the lakefront is private, visitors may drive through Ransom Canyon neighborhoods to appreciate the sweeping canyon views and distinctive residential architecture, including artist Robert Bruno’s steel house at 85 E Canyon View Dr.

TO SLATON SLATON Travel back out to FM 835, then Rich in railroad, farming and German heritage, Slaton offers vis- E to TX 400; south past Texas itors a friendly, hometown atmosphere. Located at Slaton Airport, Air Museum. At US 84, bear left the Texas Air Museum celebrates military aviation from the early onto Railroad Ave., go to Harvey 1900s to the present. Its collection features more than 60 vintage air- House. Go back to downtown craft, including tanks, military vehicles and weaponry. A large World Slaton square; then continue S War II collection features artifacts from Allied and Axis forces, such on TX 400 to Wilson. as rare German and Japanese artillery and aircraft. Many of these Approx. 18 miles World War II aircraft are flyable. The museum hosts a popular air show each summer. Railroad history; Slaton Bak- TheSlaton Harvey House, a landmark Santa Fe railroad depot ery, a Texas Treasure Business built in 1912, offers an example of the luxury services that once ac- Award winner, recently re- companied railroad travel. The Harvey House, part of a chain created opened after fire next door by Scottish immigrant Fred Harvey in 1876, provided fine dining to passengers preparing to travel on the Santa Fe line, serviced courtesy of a bevy of hostesses known as the Harvey Girls. The two-story Mission Revival structure features concrete walls a foot thick and a parapet decorated with Santa Fe Railway symbols. Today, the Slaton Harvey House has been restored to its former status as host to travelers, providing an event venue and archive to artifacts and memorabilia of the Slaton railroad heritage.

TO WILSON WILSON From downtown Slaton square, continue S on TX 400 to Wilson. In the greater Wilson/Woodrow area you aren’t too far from Cap Approx. 20 miles Rock Winery. Out of the flatness of the Texas High Plains rises one of the most

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 6 beautiful winemaking facilities in the country. Visitors from all over the world enjoy the beauty and style of the winery’s tasting room and its fourteen foot ceiling, stone fireplace, graciously appointed interior furnishings and green marble-topped bar. The stunning Southwestern mission style winery is outfitted with the finest quality equipment available. The name “Cap*Rock” refers to the actual geologic forma- Draw, Texas, is a Lynn County tion of the Texas High Plains area. A caprock is an impervious stra- hamlet of 39 souls — whose tum or resistant rock usually at the summit of a mesa. The caprock highway sign just beckons art- extends from the Great High Plains to the northern part of the Texas ists to hop on over and set up a Panhandle. Stop in for some live music, a fun night of comedy, or just chair and a sketch pad! a taste of some great wine.

TAHOKA LAKE

One hundred residents gathered at Tahoka Lake in 1902 and Although the county seat of voted to organize Lynn County and a county seat named Tahoka, Tahoka isn’t on this itinerary, a Native American word for “fresh water.” (Today, Tahoka’s square we will pass very near the large boasts the 1916 Classical-Revival style Lynn County Courthouse de- Tahoka Lake;. signed by W. R. Rice, restored in 2019. The restored building, reopened and rededicated in July 2019, has earned National Register and State Archeological Landmark designations.)

GAIL

Gail and its home county, Borden are, together named in honor of TO GAIL the 19th century pioneer, land surveyor, newspaper editor, and inven- From downtown Wilson, turn L tor of condensed milk – Gail Borden, Jr. Gail is both the county seat on TX 211, then S on 1054. Con- and the only town in Borden County. Despite the Moderne-styled, tinue S on 1054 (crossing dogleg 20th century courthouse, built in 1939 and comprised of brick ma- on US 380) to US 180, turning L sonry with decorative relief panels, occupying Gail’s town center, the into Gail. community’s roots originate in a much earlier era of Texas frontier Approx. 43 miles history. The county, created in 1876 and finally organized in 1891, elected Gail to its county seat somewhat by default, founding the Lunch at Coyote Store, 100 community the same year. The town had little time to develop before West Wasson Rd., Gail; walk serving as frontline to the “War of Ribbons,” a battle for land placed over to Dorward Drug. in the public domain by the 1902 Texas courts. With ranchers on one side, accustomed to unfettered grazing, and newly arrived settlers

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 7 ready to stake claims in the state-sanctioned land grab on the other, Gail experienced three days of knockdowns and fist-fights across its streets and inside the courthouse. To signify their allegiance, ranchers wore blue ribbon armbands and settlers wore red, thus the “War of Ribbons”. The confrontation reached such a violent level that the local sheriff ordered claimants to disarm, avoiding bloodshed. The conflict ended with winners and losers on both sides but, in time, nature proved the deciding factor. Drought drove most settlers from the region, returning the farmland to dry grasslands, conditions better suited for grazing cattle than growing crops. Mushaway Peak, Gail’s most recognizable and venerable landmark, rises nearly 3,000 feet above the plains where Quanah Parker and his band last camped in 1875 before agreeing to relocate to the reservation in Oklahoma. Gail Mountain overlooks the town. Borden County was also the location of Quanah Parker’s last campsite before agreeing to move his Kwahadi band of Comanches to reservation lands, an event commemorated in Gail’s giant arrow marker on the Quanah Parker Trail.

David Dorward (born December 15, 1872, in Burleson County, TX, to David and Anna Atkinson Dorward) arrived in Borden County, Texas, in 1892, and In 1893 began working as a wagon cook for the Square and Compass Ranch; a year later he began work for the Magnolia Land and Cattle Company. In 1901 David became a businessman when he opened the Dorward Drug store on the courthouse square. A week after opening his business on May 26, 1901, David Dor- ward married Minnie Russell, a schoolteacher. They raised three sons in Gail: Russell, Maurice, and Kelvin. David began home study for his pharmacist license, receiving a district license first and then, on September 17, 1907, license #855 by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. He supplied prescriptions for two local physicians, Dr. James Prince and Dr. John H. Hannabass. As the town of Gail began to dwindle in population, Dorward Drug became the focal point of the community by providing over-the-counter medicines, refreshments, and ice. Most important, the drugstore served as a gathering place to hear the local and area news. When the local telephone switchboard closed in 1918, Dorward Drug had the only telephone serving Gail and surrounding farms and ranches until the 1950s; Dorward would deliver telephone messages received at the store to local residents or to outlying farms and ranches. David Dorward also served as a public servant by holding the offices of county treasurer and county judge. David taught adult Sun- day school classes for thirty years, and Minnie taught classes more than fifty years. Their involvement in the Borden County community left an enduring legacy. In 2012, R. D. “Buster” and Jean Creighton Taylor acquired the old property and were able to salvage the original walls, ceiling, shelving, soda machine, and safe from eventual destruction. A private histori-

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 8 cal marker was dedicated at the site of the refurbished store in 2014. Leaving Gail, take FM 660 N out While the drugstore building is not regularly open to the public, the of Gail toward Post’ pharmacy counter and samples of medicines and many other Dor- Drive into Dennis Ranch for a ward treasures may be viewed at the Borden County Museum. brief visit Approx. 5 miles

TO POST POST Take FM 660 N out of Gail Brief visit, Garza County Histor- Ranchland became a Utopian town just below the Caprock Escarp- ical Museum (119 North Ave. N, ment in 1907. That’s when Post Cereal founder and philanthropist, Post). At intersection with US C.W. Post, established his namesake city as a model farming commu- 380 in Post, continue straight nity. In the process he introduced agricultural innovations to the high past courthouse, then turn 1 Texas plains and paid the Santa Fe Railroad to ensure that a depot block N to museum would be finished by 1910 (the restored building now serves as the Approx. 30 miles city’s Visitors Center and Chamber of Commerce). A five-block refurbished historic district looks much as it did in the cereal magnate’s day. His 1911 office is now the OS Ranch Muse- um, a gallery of world-class art collected by rancher and oilman Giles C. McCrary and family. Downtown also offers B&B lodging in the 1915 Hotel Garza, plus family movies at the classic Tower Theater. A sanitarium opened by C.W. Post in 1912 houses the Garza County His- torical Museum. Its 26 rooms retell the story of the county’s colorful ranching, farming and Native American heritage. One exhibit details the life and experiments of C.W. Post, including his dynamite-blasting efforts to make it rain. Next door, a two-story Arts-and-Crafts bun- galow, built in 1913 for sanitarium nurses, now houses the Caprock Cultural Association and hosts special events. A statue of C.W. Post sits outside the 1923 Prairie School-style Garza County Courthouse. Not far from town, the Terrace Cemetery welcomes visitors with an unusual gateway built in 1908 using round rocks from C.W. Post’s ranch. TO CROSBYTON Depart CROSBYTON Post via Main St.; cross US 84 through downtown, across Established in 1958 in a replica of the Hank Smith house, the first railroad tracks past Santa Fe permanent home on the Llano located in Blanco Canyon, the Crosby Depot on R; turn N on FM 651. County Pioneer Museum houses both a community center and some Follow it through broken coun- 45,000 artifacts culled from local history. It displays a comprehensive try across Brazos River and up

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 9 caprock, stopping at US 82 at collection of Native American tools and artworks, as well as an ear- Crosby County Pioneer Muse- ly-20th-century Brush Automobile, a diorama of Blanco Canyon, and um (101 West Main St.) other exhibits documenting 700 years of tradition and culture. The museum is an excellent source of information on the Battle Afternoon coffee/refreshment of Blanco Canyon, where the U.S. Army and Quanah Parker’s band of break Blanco Canyon; Ag- Comanches fought in October 1871. ricultural history: irrigation, Adjacent to the museum is the Wayne J. Parker Center for the cotton Study of Native American Cultures, a facility dedicated to the exhi- bition of artifacts gathered by historians and archeologists Choice Approx. 38 miles Smith and Wayne Parker.

TO ROARING SPRINGS Follow US 82 E across Blanco ROARING SPRINGS Canyon; turn L on FM 264, The Plains Trail Region community of Roaring Springs, located which makes several small in Motley County, harbors a long and unique history. Established turns on its way into McAdoo. around a group of active springs fed by runoff from the western High There, pick up FM 193 until Plains, the site has served as gathering place for explorers, settlers, it ends at TX 70; turn N and and ranchers possibly beginning with the expedition of Coronado in continue to FM 3203; proceed 1541. Native Americans inhabited the springs area even earlier. By the 1 mile and stop at entrance to late-1800s, Roaring Springs provided respite for picnickers and an Roaring Springs Ranch Club ideal location for camp meetings where the sound of rushing water (1991 FM 3203). Visit Roaring (thus, its name) and a canopy of trees created a soothing, shady envi- Springs pool, springs. After- ronment. The springs were a favored location for the area’s ranching ward, exit Ranch Club and turn interests as well, serving as line camp for the historic Matador Ranch. L on FM 3203, traveling N into Today, the springs and surrounding area are property of the Roaring downtown Roaring Springs and Springs Ranch Club. The club, a private enterprise, maintains a golf viewing Depot and Tabernacle course, RV camping, and a spring-fed swimming pool. before returning to TX 70 north Although the springs are now private, their history is everyone’s to Matador. to enjoy, especially during Roaring Springs’ three-day long Old Set- Approx. 39 miles tlers Reunion and Ranch Rodeo. Held since in 1923 for one weekend every August, this cowboy reunion and rodeo features barrel racing, Springs along the caprock; Indi- team roping, bronc riding, and team branding. The festivities high- an metates; park and recreation light two nights of dancing, including a Friday night dance geared for Matador cowboys; taberna- specifically, according to the Motley County Chamber website, for the cle; small-town industry “old folks.”

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 10 TO MATADOR MATADOR Arriving at traffic signal at TX 70 and US 62 at Bob’s Oil Well, NO BULLFIGHT BUT PLENTY OF CATTLE turn R into downtown Matador, The small community of Matador, established in the 19th century then 1 block N on Main St. to and seat of Motley County, is well prepared to last another hundred Hotel Matador for check-in. years. Matador’s character – gracious, historical and well-worn – appears after a cursory drive through town where the Motley County Approx. 10 miles Historical Museum (housed in the former Traweek Hospital building). The Motley County Jail, the historic Hotel Matador, and 1930’s gas station/tourist attraction Bob’s Oil Well all share billing with the Visit Old Motley County Jail modern age.

The restored Hotel Matador is a particular standout, providing Dinner at Main Street Café visitors with a surprising bit of luxury for a weekend getaway. This (1023 Main St., Matador, TX renovated charmer, now an eight-room bed and breakfast with mod- 79244), then overnight at his- ern conveniences including private bathrooms, Wi-Fi, and flat-screen toric Hotel Matador (1115 Main TV’s, serves guests a gourmet breakfast every morning, fortifying St., Matador) them for a full day of sightseeing. Matador is named for the nearby historic Matador Ranch, once Those who wish can watch property of the Matador Cattle Company. The cattle company started 70-minute independent film, “A in 1878 with an abandoned dugout and 8,000 “jinglebob” cattle, the Line in the Sand,” in the hotel term used for a peculiar marking technique in which a steer’s ear parlor after dinner. is slashed so that the halves dangle. By the time company investors sold the outfit to a Scotland firm in 1882, the Matador represented Cattle ranches; frontier; Old 100,000 acres of land and 40,000 cattle. Today, the Matador Ranch Motley County Jail; what small and the El Matador Hunting Lodge offer world-class hunting oppor- towns can do with “cowboy tunities while raising livestock (including horses and famed Akaushi ingenuity” beef) and promoting its natural wildlife resources. The ranch’s com- pelling heritage includes a visit by Quanah Parker, an event documented as part of the official Quanah Parker Trail. Matador serves as stop along the Trail, a heritage program designed to follow the path of TUESDAY, Chief Quanah Parker across Texas. Bob’s Oil Well, an oil derrick sitting on the top of a cook shack, JULY 30 was built in 1934 by Bob Robertson. Located at the crossroads of US Breakfast at Hotel Matador Highway 70 and Texas Highway 70, the oil well could be seen for miles Delicious home-cooked meal! and was well known to travelers. Closed in 1964, forty years later this historic roadside attraction was renovated through more than 900 hours of citizen volunteerism and private donations.

TURKEY

WESTERN SWING KING TO QUITAQUE VIA TURKEY James Robert Wills, born in 1905 near the Texas community of Return to Bob’s Oil Well and Kosse, learned to play frontier fiddle music from his father and grand- follow TX 70 N through White- father. But he also learned to play blues and jazz, picking up the style flat to Quitaque; through town from African Americans coworking the cottonfields with him in west to Caprock Canyons State Park, Texas. Wills combined these styles to create one all his own called 850 Caprock Canyon Park Road, western swing and in the process transformed American folk music. Quitaque, TX 79255

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 11 The achievement earned him the title of “King of Western Swing” and his influence can clearly be heard in musical greats of the 20th century including Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Eric Clapton, and Willie Nelson. Wills’ contribution to music was recognized with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007, awarded over three decades after his death. The unique sound created by Wills and his Texas Play- boys has endured decades of dramatic changes in American musical styles, a remarkable achievement documented among the memorabilia and artifacts catalogued in the Bob Wills Museum. Wills spent much of his childhood around the Texas Plains Trail community of Turkey where citizens, in return, created the museum. Turkey goes one step further as well, sponsoring the annual Bob Wills Day with live music and a celebratory atmosphere.

QUITAQUE

Program with park superinten- A TONGUE TWISTER BUT EASY ON THE EYES dent Donald Beard on bison In 1865 Comanchero trader José Piedad Tafoya built a trading history; QA&P Railroad post on the site of Quitaque, now a small Texas Plains Trail community, in order to trade goods with the area Comanche, an exchange that often included ammunition for stolen livestock. The tiny settlement that developed around the trading post was named “Quitaque” by cattleman Charles Goodnight who had already established his vast JA Ranch before buying the Lazy F Ranch nearby. Goodnight believed the word meant “end of the trail” but, according to legend, the word actually refers to two distinct buttes along the horizon that resemble “piles of horse manure,” the real meaning of the word to local Native Americans. A third story suggests that “quitaque” was a permutation of the name of the Quitaca Indi- ans, designated by Anglo settlers to mean “whatever one steals.” Regardless of origin, the word today (pronounced “kitty-kway” by some and “kitt-a-quay” by others) refers to a pleasant little town on the Texas Plains. Quitaque also serves as the gateway to Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway. The state park is home to the Texas State Bison herd, the descendants of the wooly beasts once prolific across the Plains. The Trailway, a 64-mile abandoned railroad spur reconfigured as a hiking, biking, and equestrian trail, passes directly through Quitaque. The local trailheads, Quitaque East and Quitaque Depot (remains of the original wooden depot are buried beneath the trailhead location), provide outdoors enthusiasts trek- king opportunities across the red soil farmland and brush country of the region. Significant Works Progress Administration projects, both built in 1938, may be visited in Quitaque: the city park’s rock wall, located south of the traffic light in downtown town, and that of the Resthav- en Cemetery east of town. The cemetery is open to the public, and a small building on the site houses a directory to all burial sites.

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 12 CAPROCK CANYONS STATE PARK & TRAILWAY

CANYONLANDS AND FARMLANDS Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway lie along the Caprock Escarpment, a long, slender formation of rock that marks the transi- tion between the western High Plains (known as the Llano Estacado) and the easterly Rolling Plains. The rock escarpment is a thousand feet high in places and creates an impressive vista as it drops off the flat farm fields of the Llano, collapsing into deep red canyons that -ex pose layers of the Earth’s ancient past. The park offers hiking, camping, fishing (in tiny Theo Lake), and wildlife watching. The park’s Trailway, a sixty-four mile roll across the Llano and Caprock country, also makes for an excellent opportunity to travel through time. The Trailway follows the abandoned Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway Line where trains once stopped in Tur- key, South Plains, Estelline, and Quitaque, enabling local farmers to ship their wares and reap the benefits of bigger markets farther north. The 1928 branch line served this slice of the Panhandle for over sixty years until Burlington closed it in 1989. Resurrected as a multi-use hiking, biking and equestrian trail (sans rails), the Trailway is now divided into six trail sections and hosts eight trailheads accessible from farm-to-market roads and state highways. It crosses forty-six bridges, passes through Clarity Tunnel, and follows Quitaque Canyon before climbing up and over the Caprock Escarpment on a 7% grade.

SILVERTON TO SILVERTON In August 1891, Olivia G. Porter, wife of town founder Thomas J. Coming back to Quitaque, Porter, named the Briscoe County seat of Silverton supposedly from turn W toward Silverton on TX silvery reflections she saw on local playa lakes. 86/256, to Old Briscoe Coun- Three years later, a two-story jail constructed of rock from ty Jail (415 Main St.). Stop at nearby Tule Canyon was erected. Its first occupant, the county sheriff, historic jail/courthouse; QPT was locked up during the grand opening ceremony as a joke. Today, arrow the restored 19th-century jail serves as the Old Jail Museum, which Approx. 20 miles offers a realistic look at frontier justice. The Briscoe County Court- house is a brick Classical Revival building originally built in 1922 and

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 13 remodeled in 1954. North of Silverton, State Highway 207 offers breathtaking scenery as it crosses Palo Duro and Tule Canyons. Tule Canyon was infamously the site of the US Army’s destruction of more than 1,000 Comanche horses during the brutal Red River War to force Native Americans onto reservation lands. Though the actual site of the pony kill is on private land in adjoining Swisher County, three giant Qua- nah Parker Trail arrow markers in Briscoe County mark the significant Comanche and other Native heritage of this region. Quitaque, long an important gathering spot for Comanches and Comanchero traders, invites visitors to explore this history at the Comanchero Canyons Museum. Hamblen Drive is a scenic road located approximately 20 miles TO HAMBLEN DRIVE south of Claude, Texas, United States, in Armstrong County. Ham- OVERLOOK blen Drive itself is a section of Texas State Highway 207, which cuts Just W of Silverton, turn N on through Palo Duro Canyon and crosses the Prairie Dog Town Fork TX 207; travel to Hamblen Drive Red River. The road is named for Will H. Hamblen (1876–1952) who, Overlook on S end of canyon, with his family, first moved to the Palo Duro Canyon area in 1890. He up steep hill on R married his wife, Ada, in 1900 and together they ranched near Way- side, Texas after 1905. Stop for Vicki Hamblen talk at In the 1890s, Hamblen helped his father haul cedar posts cut Hamblen Drive scenic overlook from Palo Duro Canyon to Amarillo, Texas to sell for three cents apiece. The journey was made over old Indian trails through the can- Approx. 26 miles yon. During these trips Hamblen began to create a crude road, which made it a bit easier to make the trip to Amarillo, and cut approximately 120 miles of the journey to the courthouse in Claude, Texas. This crude road was steep and dangerous, and Hamblen still wanted better roads for the settlers to use. He worked for many years to get a road built through the canyon. In 1928 he was elected county commissioner and a graded road was built. In 1930, the commissioner›s court dedicated the road as Hamblen Drive, and paved it in 1954. In 1968 the State Historical Survey Committee placed a historical marker (marker number 4284) atop a scenic overlook on the cliff of the Palo Duro Canyon.

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 14 TO CLAUDE CLAUDE Arrive in Claude; before intersection of TX 207 and US Before the Texas Plains Trail community of Claude installed mod- 287, turn R on W 2nd St.; go ern plumbing for its residents, citizens were required to haul water to courthouse square. Turn L from the public trough, located on the courthouse square beneath on Trice St. and cross US 287 the shade of a cottonwood tree. At the time Claude won the Arm- (BUSY HIGHWAY!) to Gem strong County seat courtesy of an election held in 1890, the outcome Theater and Armstrong County of which, according to folklore, was determined by a tie-breaking vote Museum. cast by none other than Charles Goodnight. The era also saw the construction of the elaborate, three-story Approx. 26 miles Palace Hotel, considered the largest hotel in the Panhandle at the time of completion. Today, visitors may discover the details of Claude and Armstrong County heritage (and enjoy a bit of theatrical drama) at the Armstrong County Museum and Gem Theatre. Twelve miles east on US287 at Goodnight, the Charles Good- night Historical Center, incorporating a visitor center, outbuildings, and the restored home of Charles and Mary Ann Dyer Goodnight, who lived in the handsome prairie structure from 1887 to 1926, preserves the legacy of the Plains ranching legend. Goodnight, an entrepreneur, rancher, and frontiersman, and his wife Mary Ann were instrumental in saving the country’s historic bison herds from TO GOODNIGHT extinction. Turn around and go back to TheBuffalo Gold Herd Wear Store,next to the Goodnight US 287; turn L onto US 287 E/S House, not only sells bison merchandise and memorabilia, but is toward Goodnight. 12 miles to itself a veritable museum of all things bison. GHC. Slow down and watch for house and sign on R. GOODNIGHT Approx. 12 miles At the Charles Goodnight Historical Center, the 1887 Victori- an-style Goodnight home is newly restored on its original site. It fea- Lunch at Cattalo Building; tures a 268-foot second-floor sleeping porch with spectacular views Goodnight House tour; Buffalo of the countryside and the nearby bison herd, descendants of the Gold Herd Wear visit herd raised by Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight. The J. Evetts Haley Visitor and Education Center offers exhibits about the Goodnights, Depart GHC via TX 287; return bison, and transportation and settlement of the area. A Quanah Park- to Claude. At courthouse in er Trail giant arrow marker commemorates the friendship between Claude, turn S (left) on Trice St., Charles Goodnight and Quanah Parker. The updated Cattalo Build- go 5 blocks S to Orient St. (FM ing, behind the main house, hosts weddings, family reunions, and 1151) and turn W (right). Travel other events. 35 miles to I-27 via 1151/335. Check into hotel, which is on E access rd. behind Love’s Travel CANYON Stop. Comfort Suites Amarillo I-27 South 6318 Ventura Dr., CANYON CULTURE Amarillo, TX 79110, (806) 353- Visitors to the Texas Plains Trail city of Canyon, home to the Pan- 51009 handle-Plains Historical Museum, will find a thriving environment of cultural and natural heritage. This Texas Main Street City and partic- Approx. 46 miles ipant in the Texas Historical Commission Courthouse Preservation

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 15 A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 16 A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 17 1968 Texas Travel Trails map Trails Travel 1968 Texas TO CANYON Program harbors a healthy share of Texas State Historical Markers Go under I-27; take Canyon within its city limits. The Randall County Courthouse, the Presby- Drive (access road) S toward terian Church Building, and the 1909 First National Bank are a Canyon. Continue 10 miles few of the over thirty markers on structures and sites around town. parallel to I-27/US 87; at curve A favorite among visiting artists is the marker commemorat- this becomes Hereford Hwy. At ing 20th century American painter Georgia O’Keeffe and her time stop sign at N. 15th St., turn L spent here as faculty member at West Texas State Normal College, across US 60 overpass and turn now West Texas A&M University. O’Keeffe arrived in Canyon in into parking lot for Tex Randall 1916 where, inspired by the surrounding countryside, she began to statue (get out for photo op); incorporate themes from nature in her work, a decision that would downtown Canyon; Georgia influence her painting for the rest of her life. Canyon also serves as O’Keeffe at Hudspeth House gateway to Palo Duro Canyon State Park, believed to be the largest canyon in Texas, no doubt a haunt of O’Keeffe’s that continues to be a Approx. 10 miles favorite destination for many Texas artists today.

TO PANHANDLE-PLAINS WHERE THE CLIFF SINGS AND THE CANYONS DANCE HISTORICAL MUSEUM Palo Duro Canyon, considered the “Grand Canyon of Texas” for Continue on 1th St. S toward its geological variation and rich color, is 120 miles long and 800 feet Canyon; at 4th Ave. (courthouse deep, making it one of the largest canyons in the country. And al- square) turn E (left). Proceed though Palo Duro is a relatively young topographical feature (in geo- past Hudspeth House on L to logic time, at least) formed less than a million years ago by erosion, US 87 intersection; turn L for more recent human interaction is marked by Texas frontier history. Panhandle-Plains Historical The canyon has served as a traditional refuge for Native Ameri- Museum parking (2503 Fourth cans and in 1874 was the site of the final and decisive battleground of Ave., Canyon). the Red River War). Brief visit, with refreshments It has provided water, grazing and protection for early cattle ranchers, offered inspiration for artists as diverse as Georgia O’Keeffe TO PALO DURO CANYON and Jack Sorenson, and encompassed Depression-era works projects. STATE PARK Today offers exceptional recreational opportunities, from horseback From PPHM, turn L on 4th Ave. riding to plein-air painting, made richer with the knowledge of the and continue 12 miles on TX canyon’s history. 217 to entrance of Palo Duro Palo Duro Canyon State Park, established in 1934, encompasses Canyon State Park. As TEXAS nearly 30,000 acres of the canyon, where fascinating hoodoos and guests, we’ll be waved through rimrock features make a hike through the canyon an entertaining the entrance gate. Continue on challenge for the imagination. The Civilian Conservation Corps had Park Road past El Coronado a significant hand in the canyon’s development as well, constructing Lodge (we will make a brief stop the park’s visitor center, cabins, shelters, and park roads. Palo Duro at the visitor center if possible) Canyon State Park is also home to “Texas,” a musical extravaganza then down into the canyon. performed at the park’s outdoor amphitheater that interprets much Park at Pioneer Amphitheatre of the state’s history in dance and song. lot on R. Pre-show chuck wagon Multiple RV and tent campgrounds, rock cabins, trails for dinner; optional backstage hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian use, and a magnificent tours; visits with Comanche lodge for group rental support overnight and day use. The Canyon actors; TEXAS play, fireworks Gallery, located in the historic Coronado Lodge on the canyon rim, makes available an impressive selection of books, gifts, and western Approx. 15 miles each way, in art in addition to interpretive exhibits and an all-weather observation and out of park. point. A giant arrow marker on the Quanah Parker Trail is located on private land several hundred yards from the park entry gate.

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 18 After show ends, travel back up Park Road and onto TX 217 to I-27. Turn N (right) at overpass and continue 10 mi. to hotel.

AMARILLO WEDNESDAY,

TURNING YELLOW INTO GOLD JULY 31

The color of the local creek bank soil and the saffron hue of area Breakfast at Comfort Suites; wildflowers were the most likely inspirations for naming this 1887 be ready to depart promptly at townsite for the Spanish word meaning yellow. Amarillo’s first resi- 8:00 a.m. dents followed suit by painting their houses the color as well. A cattle boom followed, quickly elevating this Potter County seat to industrial FOLLOW AMARILLO MAP holding ground for livestock driven across the Panhandle, the Plains, PROVIDED. Leaving hotel, and eastern New Mexico on their way to market via the railroad. travel N on I-27 (passing Jack Shortly before the turn of the century, Amarillo’s status as cattle Sisemore Traveland Museum shipping point outranked all others worldwide and the resulting on R) across I-40 and bear R on prosperity enabled the city to thrive over the next three decades. Buchanan St. exit. Travel N on Despite a setback during the Dust Bowl era, the city continued to Buchanan past Civic Center. grow, constructing a new courthouse and other buildings in the Art Turn W (left) on 3rd St., passing Deco style of the period. Amarillo’s Potter County courthouse has the abandoned Herring Hotel since been renovated courtesy of the county and the Texas Historical on your R. Travel 4 blocks to Commission Courthouse Preservation Program. Today the Amarillo Polk St., noting Amarillo Build- Museum of Art, the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and ing on R. Turn S (left) on Polk Museum, Cadillac Ranch, and Amarillo’s Historic Route 66 district and travel 11 blocks to Har- are among the cultural institutions representing the city’s dynamic rington House. Turn W (right) and historic legacy. onto 16th St.; continue 8 blocks Center City Amarillo—the city’s Main Street program—has to Washington St. Turn N encouraged significant preservation initiatives downtown, including (right) on Washington and con- the restoration of historic neon signs along the Polk Street corridor. tinue around N (it will become While the Paramount Theatre is no longer operating as a movie Adams St.) to SW 6th St. Turn house, its iconic sign has become a symbol of Amarillo’s revitaliza- W (left) onto 6th, which is now tion. Other structures along Polk, such as the Amarillo National historic Route 66. Continue on Bank and the Kress Building, have adopted or restored similar de- slowly — taking in the Route 66 signs. Also on Polk, the Bivins House is home to the Amarillo Cham- history! — past the intersection ber of Commerce and the Convention and Visitor Council. with Georgia Ave., on to West- TheS anta Fe Railroad building — owned continuously by the ern Blvd. But first we’ll pull in at railroad until purchased by Potter County as a courthouse and office Texas Ivy Antiques (3511 West building — has likewise come to showcase the vitality of Amarillo’s 6th Ave.) and get a photo with central business district. Dora! Most recently, minor league baseball has returned to the Yellow City, with the San Diego Padres affiliate, the Amarillo Sod Poodles, Approx. 15 miles total playing in an award-winning Hodgetown ballpark situated in the heart of downtown. A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 19 A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 20 ROUTE 66 IN AMARILLO FOLLOW AMARILLO MAP Details from www.nps.gov/nr/travel/route66/6th_street_historic_district_amarillo.html FOR ROUTE 66 DETAILS Get your kicks on this popular stretch of the iconic American highway! TheU.S. Route 66–Sixth Street Historic District compris- es 13 blocks of commercial development in the San Jacinto Heights Addition west of Amarillo’s central business district and runs along an east-west axis between Georgia and Forrest Avenues. Developed as an early 20th century streetcar suburb, the district was transformed by the establishment of a national transportation artery running through its center. The road was originally paved with gravel in 1921. Asphalt pavement on a concrete foundation replaced the gravel when the road became part of federally designated Route 66 in 1926. The commercial corridor was the first highway constructed to carry travelers out of Amarillo to the south and west. The istrict,d a member of the National Register of Historic Plac- es, is Amarillo’s most intact collection of commercial buildings that possess significant associations with the highway. Featuring elements of Spanish Revival, Art Deco, and Art Moderne design, these buildings represent the historic development phases of the early 20th century and the evolving tastes and sensibilities of American culture. The district is now a hub for nightlife and shopping, and the surrounding San Jacinto neighborhood remains a vibrant center of activity. Today, restaurants, antique stores, and specialty shops are housed in the rehabilitated storefronts. The 12 buildings described below represent many of the significant road trends that have shaped this district along historic Route 66 and provide an overview of the district’s character.

The Natatorium,better known as the Nat, is located at 604 Have some fun with TPTR’s South Georgia. Built in 1922 as an indoor swimming pool in a Gothic Hunt for History on Route 66! Revival style, the Natatorium faces West Sixth and acts as the visual gateway to the district. High turrets at the corners and a crenellat- ed parapet ornament the two-story block clad in stucco veneer. An ample pointed arch marks the primary entrance, and windows and doors are set deep in the wall. Reflecting its nautical theme, the north side of the building around the corner is designed to look like an ocean-faring vessel replete with lifeboat-like elements near the roofline. The Nat was converted into a ballroom in 1926. After hosting Q: Where can you buy one-of-a- headliners like Tommy Dorsey and Duke Ellington, the Nat closed its kind “Cadillite” jewelry hand- doors in the 1960s. The adjoining Alamo Bar, which was built in 1935 made from hardened chips and connects to the Nat by tunnel, is still open for business. Today, of paint flaked off the cars at the Nat serves as an antiques mall. Amarillo’s Cadillac Ranch? Hint: The Bussey Buildings at 2713-2727 W. Sixth were the first Stop into this shop and Bob will major commercial buildings in the district. Built in the late 1920s, the tell you in a while, Crocodile! modest strip of commercial buildings consists of four storefronts with large glass display windows and dark brick with limestone detailing. A: Lile Art Gallery, 2719 SW 6th The building’s most famous occupant was the San Jacinto Beauty Ave.

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 21 Q. What’s one business you might School, which received Texas’ first beauty license and occupied the find in the Bussey Buildings store from 1941 to 1964. today? Hint: Ask a Historic Route The Cazzell Buildings are located across the street from each 66 business—listen closely and other at 2806 and 2801 W. Sixth. W.E. Cazzell purchased the one-story you might hear the answer. brick building at 2806 W. Sixth in 1918 and operated a general store and post office. When he sold the building in 1922, he commissioned A: Whispering Pines Antiques, a new two-story one across the street. 2727 SW 6th Ave. Borden’s Heap-O-Cream at 3120 W. Sixth is a one-story frame building with Art Moderne detailing such as oval plate glass windows, three-lite wood double doors and a rounded metal awning on Q. Here at 2903 SW 6th Ave. front and sides. Preservation Amarillo and the San Jacinto Boy Scout there’s brisket smoking outside, Troop rehabilitated the building in 1990. The grandson of the original but no smoking inside! The sign painter provided plans to aid in replicating color, dimension, and location was once a local market. style. What kind of a market was it? The Adkinson-Baker Tire Companyis located at 3200 W. Hint: A Historic Route 66 mer- Sixth. This service station was built in 1939 and is fronted by a pro- chant can point you to where the jecting canopy over the pump island. The station originally housed Harleys gather. the Adkinson-Baker Tire Co.#2 and exclusively sold Texaco gas. It was sold in 1945 and became the Theo A. Bippus Service Station. The Ad- A: Fruit Market (now Smokey kinson Baker Tire Company is one of three extant historic stations in Joe’s Bar & Grill) the district and has been virtually unchanged since it opened in 1939. A fine example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, the Carolina Building at 3313-23 W. Sixth is divided by brick piers into Q: What’s the oldest restaurant eight glass storefronts. Built in 1926, it is one of the earliest examples in Amarillo still in operation, of strip commercial buildings in Amarillo. Original occupants includ- dating to 1946? Hint: Ask a His- ed an auto paint firm, a barbershop, beauty shop and a drug store. toric Route 66 merchant and you The edr tile pent roof runs the length of the building and shades the won’t be kept in the dark. store entrances and display windows. The parapet features cast concrete coping broken by several gables. A: The Golden Light Cantina, TheD utch Mill Service Station and Café has been in opera- 2906 SW 6th Ave. tion since 1932 at 3401 W. Sixth. This seemingly plain-looking building may fool visitors, but it has just as much character as some of the flashier places. The stuccoed walls are pierced by a glass paneled Q. The single-story wood house at door, plate glass windows, and a roll down garage door. Ornamental 3511 W. Sixth Avenue was built crenellations grace the building, which originally featured a large in 1921 by a man who worked Dutch windmill at its curbside to attract passing motorists. Until for the railroad and remained a the 1950’s this building housed both the service station and the café, single-family dwelling until 1997, which later expanded into the larger building at 3403 W. Sixth. when a commercial enterprise Taylor’s Texaco Station is located at 3512 W. Sixth. Built using took it over. What business still the standard Texaco design developed by Walter D. Teague in 1937, operates there today? Hint: this one-story station clad in white porcelain has a projecting cano- Follow this green vine to some py over the pump island and also houses an office, two service bays, fabulous Lone Star finds! and restrooms. One of the first standardized gas station designs, the basic formula and red star motif provided instant recognition for the A. Texas Ivy Antiques, 3511 SW motorist in search of Texaco products. 6th Ave. — where we will stop Martin’s Phillips 66 Station at 3821 W. Sixth operated from the and snap a Route 66 photo! 1930s to the 1990s. The earliest facility at this site included the corpo- ration’s standard issue Tudor Revival style cottage, designed to blend

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 22 in with a residential neighborhood. The building survived on the Q: Wild Bill’s Fillin’ Station, 3512 site until after construction of the current facility in 1963. Designed Sixth Ave., started out as a place to catch the eye, its replacement exhibits exaggerated modernistic where travelers could fuel up features including an office with canted plate glass walls, angled their vehicles. What kind of ser- service bay entrances, and a soaring triangular canopy over the pump vice station operated there orig- island. Herb Martin operated the station through all the changes in inally? Hint: Running on empty styles and marketing. Martin assisted many Route 66 travelers during for answers? Historic Route 66 the 1930s, giving gas to some and allowing those without money for merchants might remind you lodging to spend the night at the station. that in bygone days you could Prominent local architect Guy Carlander designed the Hubbell “Trust Your Car to the Man Who Duplex at 3912 W. Sixth in 1925 for Mr. and Mrs. Hubbell, who owned Wears the Star.” Hubbell Diamond T Truck Company. At the western end of one of Amarillo’s busiest streets, the house typifies the modest housing built A: Texaco during the city’s boom years. The dark brown brick dwelling features typical Craftsman details such as battered brick piers supporting the twin entry porticoes. The duplex remains virtually unchanged since Q. Located at 610 South Georgia, its construction. this one-story brick building Located at 610 South Georgia, the San Jacinto Fire Station was was designed in Mission Revival built in 1926 to serve the rapidly growing population of the San Jacin- style with a red tile roof, battered to area. The one-story brick building was designed in Mission Revival walls, and curvilinear parapets. style with a red tile roof, battered walls and curvilinear parapets. The It served the neighborhood until station served the neighborhood until 1975 and is the only surviving 1975, when its siren song came. pre-World War II fire station in Amarillo. What was this building? Hint: Constructed in 1926, the San Jacinto Methodist Church is lo- If you need an urgent answer, cated at 505 S. Tennessee. The church is a two-story, dark brown brick get fired up and find a Historic building with a pedimented entryway supported by square brick Route 66 merchant to help you pilasters with a double limestone stringcourse below the cornice. The out. double entry doors sit below an arched stained glass transom. When Sixth Street was widened in 1924, the church lost its original entry A: San Jacinto Fire Station stairway. The original concrete steps lead to Sixth Street and were flanked by a broad balustrade capped in cast stone. Today, the main entrance is on South Tennessee and flanked with pipe railings. The south façade of the church features four sets of paired wooden double TO BORGER hung, narrow stained glass windows, with two pairs of the same win- In Panhandle, proceed N on dows lighting the east and west sides of the entry. A large two-story Elsie St. (TX 207) into Borg- brick building was added in the rear that houses the present sanctu- er, bearing R onto S. Main St. ary and educational facilities. Continue 4 mi. N to Hutchinson County Historical Museum (618 North Main St.), where we’ll have a Coffee break. Note the oil derrick exhibit across the street.

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 23 TO PANHANDLE In Amarillo, turn N on Western PANHANDLE Blvd. and travel N 1 mile to Panhandle derives its name from its central location in the Texas Amarillo Blvd. Turn E (right) Panhandle. Originally named “Carson City,” it was later changed to and continue 30 miles as it “Panhandle City.” becomes US 60, to Panhandle. In 1887, Panhandle obtained a post office, and in 1888 the town Turn N (left) onto TX 207 at was planned as the terminus of the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway. CEFCO store; proceed around At that time the town was surrounded by several large cattle ranches. and turn N (left) onto Elsie St. The community soon acquired a bank, a mercantile store, a wagon past Carson County Square yard, a school, a newspaper, and three saloons. In 1888, Carson Coun- House Museum (corner of Elsie ty was organized, and Panhandle became the county seat. and Fifth Streets). Temple Lea Houston, the eighth and last child of politician Sam Houston, built a home near Panhandle. In 1881, Houston was Approx. 40 miles named district attorney for the 35th Judicial District, and was elected to the Texas Senate in 1884, two years before he met the minimum age requirement of 26. Houston was known for favoring legislation popular with frontiersmen. Panhandle was scandalized in 1897 after George E. Morrison, a preacher at the Methodist Episcopal Church, poisoned his wife Min- nie with a strychnine-laced apple so that he could marry his mistress Miss Annie Whittlesey of Topeka, Kansas. Morrison was sentenced to die in the gallows at Vernon in Wilbarger County, Texas, his last words being: “Jesus, Lover of My Soul.” In 1909, Panhandle voted to incorporate, and the population grew in the 1920s when Panhandle became the center of a natural gas field. A new county courthouse was completed in 1950. Panhandle continued to thrive throughout the late 20th century as a regional marketing and shipping center for cattle, wheat, and pe- troleum products. The Carson County Square House Museum is located inside the oldest house in Panhandle, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

BORGER

TO BORGER During the Roaring Twenties, Borger boomed as one of West Texas’ From Square House Museum, roughest oil towns. Shrewd promoter and city namesake Ace Borg- proceed N on Elsie St. (TX 207) er platted his town in March of 1926, and within three months 15,000 into Borger, bearing R onto S. people called the place home. Main St. Continue 4 mi. N to The boom also attracted criminals...so many that Gov. Daniel Hutchinson County Historical J. Moody imposed martial law and engaged Texas Rangers and state Museum (618 North Main St.), troopers to uproot corruption. Exhibits on Borger--the town and where we’ll have a coffee break. the man--take center stage downtown at the Hutchinson County Note the oil derrick exhibit Historical Museum. Two floors of colorful exhibits chronicle county across the street. heritage with an emphasis on the rich and rowdy boom era. On display is a copy of famed artist Thomas Hart Benton’s painting Boom- Approx. 20 miles town, which the artist composed from sketches on a trip to Borger.

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 24 Across the street from the museum looms a rare cable-tool oil After the museum visit, travel a drilling rig used from 1926 to 1947. The Gulf Dial No. 54 rig was once few blocks S and W to Cedar St. a busy, noisy, dangerous place as men drilled for oil in Hutchinson at Monroe, where we will drive County. into the parking lot to view the The museum also chronicles and leads tours to Adobe Walls, Buckminster Fuller Dome. the site in northern Hutchinson County of a 19th-century buffalo hunters’ camp. Started as a trading post in 1843 and abandoned in 1849, Adobe Walls preserves some of the most storied episodes in the West. Kit Carson and a group of Union soldiers battled Plains Indians there in 1864, and Billy Dixon and a group of buffalo hunters battled Indians again in 1874. Attacks by Native Americans on the camp sparked the Red River War, an epic struggle that led to the subjugation of Southern Plains Indians in the 1870s. Near the museum, the restored 1947 Morley Theater shows current movies in a historical setting.

SANFORD

Contrasting spectacularly with its surroundings on the dry TO SANFORD windswept Llano Estacado, Lake Meredith is truly one of the gems of Out of Borger, head W on W. the region. The Canadian River has cut and re-cut 200 foot canyons Wilson St./TX 136 toward called breaks. Sanford. Turn R on FM 1319 to Sanford Dam created Lake Meredith on the Canadian River Sanford Dam; pull over into the and now fills many of the breaks whose walls are crowned with white roadside park on the S side of dolomite caprock, scenic buttes, pinnacles, hoodoos, and red-brown dam for photo op. wind eroded coves. Lake Meredith now supplies water to over 14 cities in the Texas Panhandle. Visitors may enjoy fishing, water skiing, camping, hiking, hunting, horseback riding, and scuba diving.

STINNETT

DOLLAR DAY Among the attractions in Stinnett, visitors will find the historic TO STINNETT McCormick House, one of the oldest surviving structures in the Cross the dam, and turn N Hutchinson County. Originally located two miles northeast of pres- (right) onto FM 687 to the ent-day Stinnett, the simple lumber house was built by settlers Isaac county seat of Stinnett. and Capitola McCormick in October of 1899. The McCormicks, who raised ten children in the house, first lived in the covered wagon that Approx. 20 miles brought them to the Texas Panhandle until the house was completed. The lumber used to build the house, purchased in the community of Panhandle, 35 miles to the south, was freighted by a wagon team across the Canadian River. By 1901 citizens organized Hutchinson County, enlisting the house as election headquarters, inspiring its designation as “Birth- place of Hutchinson County.” Today, the house serves as museum, opened to the public periodically and managed by civic organizations

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 25 including the Golden Spread Grandmothers Club, the Stinnett chap- ter of the National Federation of Grandmothers Clubs. In 1926, the community of Stinnett was formally established in order to provide a shipping point along the Amarillo branch of the Chicago, Rock Island & Gulf Railway. Some of Stinnett’s first residents arrived to the area courtesy of a period in which events known as “Dollar Day” picnics were organized by promoters to draw inter- ested investors to the community. The events were successful, aiding organizers in selling almost half a million dollars in town lot sales in less than four months.

DUMAS

Dumas was made famous by the hit song “I’m a Ding Dong Daddy TO DUMAS from Dumas,” written by Phil Baxter of Navarro County in the 1920s Before reaching the Borger after he had spent a night in the town en route to Denver, and lat- County Courthouse in Stinnett, er recorded as a hit by the leader of Benny Goodman’s band. The local turn W (left) onto TX 152; travel radio station, KDDD, took its name from the three D’s and created 31 miles to Dumas. At US 287, a caricature of the “Ding Dong Daddy”—who was later joined by his turn S (left) and proceed to 19th “Ding Dong Dolly” counterpart. With its history and culture, mod- St. Dumas Chamber of Com- ern-day Dumas continues to provide a welcoming way station for merce/Visitor Center will be on Rocky Mountain–bound Texans. L (1901 S. Dumas Ave.); stop in A comfortable city park adjacent to the highway overpass offers for bathroom and refreshments. a free night’s stay for RV travelers. The Window on the Plains Muse- Window on the Plains/Art Cen- um features memorabilia and displays of local history, area wildlife, ter will be on R across 287. Indian artifacts, and changing exhibits. TheMoore County Art Association’s home adjoining the Approx. 30 miles museum is a great place to visit. You can even join an open-painting program or enjoy the Art Association’s permanent collection of impressive artworks.

CHANNING

TO CHANNING The Hartley County Courthouse is situated at 900 Main Street be- From Dumas Chamber, contin- tween West 9th and West 10th Streets in Channing. The historical ue s (left) on US 287 to intersec- marker in front indicates that the building was constructed in a tion with TX 354. Turn W (left) Beaux Arts style featuring a triumphal arch on the front façade, while and travel to the Channing. the building’s cornerstone indication the courthouse was construct- Cross US 385 and turn N (right) ed in 1906 by architect O.Q. Rouquemore. It’s a working courthouse, 2 blocks. Drive past the XIT and while visitors can stroll its tree-shaded grounds, you can also Ranch Headquarters at 5th and visit the interior during normal business hours. W. Railroad Ave. Just around the corner on the 10th Street side is the Hartley County Jail. Constructed as the same red brick as the courthouse, Approx. 30 miles the jail features high arched, barred widows. Constructed in 1908, the jail is still in use today. On the opposite end of town at Fifth and Railroad Streets sits the XIT Ranch House, headquarters of what was the once the largest

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 26 ranch in the world under fence in the 1880s. Destined in 2008 to be dismantled and moved to the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock for reconstruction, the historic building remained in Channing thanks to vigorous mobilization and fund-raising by local citizens.

TO BOYS RANCH BOYS RANCH Return to US 385 and turn S (right), to the entrance of Boys Occupying the site of former wild west town of Old Tascosa, Cal Ranch, on L just north of the Farley’s Boys Ranch is a nationally known home for boys and girls Canadian River. Note Boot who benefit from guidance and education in a ranch setting. Estab- Hill cemetery on R, Frenchie’s lished in 1939 by the late Cal Farley, Texas businessman and world Tree on L. Meet up with Danyel welterweight wrestling champion of the 1920’s. Guests are welcome Parkhurst, who will ride with us to visit the Boys Ranch campus, and while there, stop in at Old Tasco- to Vega. sa’s remaining sites - Boot Hill Cemetery and the Julian Bivins Muse- um which is housed in the original Oldham County courthouse. Approx. 13 miles VEGA

GET YOUR KICKS HERE The community of Vega, organized in the first decade of the twen- TO VEGA tieth century, is located along historic Route 66 (now Interstate 40) Continue S (left) out of Boys west of Amarillo. Originally established to serve the Choctaw, Okla- Ranch, past site of Old Tasco- homa & Texas Railroad, Vega fully embraced the Route 66 aesthetic, sa and over Canadian River. building classic mid-century modern motels and cafes to accommo- Continue to Vega courthouse date one of America’s historic highway corridors. square; at Magnolia gas station Today, Vega showcases its history in a variety of museums and turn R on Coke St. Sandwich collections. Its pioneer days are represented by the Milburn-Price tray lunch at Milburn-Price Culture Museum, dedicated to the history and culture of Oldham Cultural Center (1005 Coke County and Vega, its county seat. The region’s agriculture is featured St.); walking tours highlighting in the outdoor display of farming and ranching equipment at the “Petroliana”: Route 66; Dot’s; Oldham County Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. Vega’s Route Magnolia Station; Comanchero 66 days are preserved by Magnolia Station, a historic gas station built traders in the 1920s along the old Route 66 alignment. The station has been restored by the city of Vega with help from a National Park Service Approx. 25 miles cost-sharing grant and represents the unique architecture of gas stations during the period and served gas through the early 1950s. It now functions as an interpretive stop along the historic highway route.

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 27 HEREFORD

Good land and water have long attracted ranchers and farmers to TO HEREFORD Deaf Smith County. After a railroad passed this way in the late 1890s, Continue S on US 385 across a town called Blue Water sprang up. Settlers changed the name to Route 66 and under I-40 to Her- Hereford when cattlemen imported the British livestock in 1898, and eford. Watch for cattle statue the town became the county seat. As early as 1904 some called it the on outskirts of town. TRUCK Windmill City for the 400 windmills dotting the flat landscape. In TRAFFIC WILL BE HEAVY. the mid-20th century, scientists noticed that the mineral-rich water Continue through downtown helped prevent tooth decay, earning Hereford the moniker, “Town Hereford on 385 (25 Mile Ave.), Without a Toothache.” crossing US 60. Then 1.5 mi. Today, the 1910 Deaf Smith County Courthouse anchors S of town bear R on FM 1055. a charming downtown in this self-proclaimed “Beef Capital of the toward Earth, crossing Running World.” The Deaf Smith County Museum chronicles county histo- Water Draw. ry in a 1927 Catholic school building. The museum’s general store and family parlor recall life in 1900. One unusual display shows Approx. 30 miles scale-model circus scenes made locally to entertain families during the Great Depression. There’s also farm equipment, the county’s original steel-cage jail cell and a replica of an 1890s dugout home. During World War II, Hereford hosted a prisoner of war camp housing several thousand Italian soldiers, many of whom were arti- sans and craftsmen. These men designed and built a chapel out of concrete made to resemble marble as a memorial to five Italians who died while interned. A water tower and the restored chapel can be visited just three miles south of Hereford in a corn field.

EARTH

TO EARTH Earth was established by William E. Halsell, who laid out the We’ll pull over at the corner townsite in 1924. Originally Halsell named the city Fairlawn, but of Earth and Park Streets for a in 1925 it was renamed Earth when it was learned that there was photo op at the mural. already a town in Texas by the name of Fairlawn. In order to find a new name the townspeople sent in suggestions, and the agreed-upon Approx. 41 miles best name was chosen. The name Earth was submitted by Ora Hume (O.H.) Reeves, who became the owner of the city hotel.

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 28 TO MULESHOE MULESHOE From Earth, turn W onto US 70 and travel to down- With a mule’s shoe as its brand, the Muleshoe Ranch was carved town Muleshoe. Coming into out of the historic XIT Ranch. The railroad pushed through in 1913, Muleshoe, turn N (right) onto and a town formed at the ranch’s cattle-loading pens. The Santa Fe US 84 (American Blvd.). Note depot is now part of the Muleshoe Heritage Center, along with an Muleshoe Visitor and Mule 1897 XIT (later the Muleshoe Ranch) cookhouse, two 1915 mail-order Memorial on L before turn- ranch houses and an early 1900s hotel. The 27-foot-high “World’s ing. TRUCK TRAFFIC WILL Largest Muleshoe,” erected as an Eagle Scout project, looms over the BE HEAVY. Travel 2 mi. to complex. Bailey County seat Muleshoe is home to the 1925 Classical Muleshoe Heritage Center and Revival courthouse of red brick. World’s Largest Muleshoe on Muleshoe also boasts a life-sized mule statue as a tribute to the R (2211 American Blvd.). Pull animal’s role in World War I. “Ol’ Pete” is the only national memorial in and turn around, then pull representing the role mules played in US history. In 2001, he traveled back out on US 84 and quickly to Washington, DC, for President Bush’s Black Tie and Boots Presi- turn R onto 20th St. Go 3 blocks dential Inauguration Ball and Inaugural Parade. and turn L onto Ave. C. Travel 18 blocks past Bailey County MULESHOE NATIONAL Courthouse, then turn S (right) onto S. 1st St / TX 214 toward WILDLIFE REFUGE the Wildlife Refuge. Established in 1935, Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge is the Approx. 19 miles oldest National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. The 6,440-acre refuge, situated in the southern part of the county, is the state’s oldest, set aside TO MULESHOE NWR in 1935. Its grasslands and playa lakes annually host one of the largest Travel 20 mi. through Need- concentrations of lesser sandhill cranes in North America, and is a more to Muleshoe NWR en- significant site of CCC-era construction as well. trance on R. Proceed down cali- The refuge includes several intermittent salinas, or salt lakes, che road to headquarters. We’ll some of which have been modified to extend their wet periods. Paul’s stop for a brief coffee break and Lake, on the east side of Highway 214, is spring-fed, and hosts wildlife a talk by local historian Sammie during times when the other lakes are dry. The refuge is a stop for Simpson. Let’s also chat about migratory waterfowl flying between Canada and Mexico. If sufficient a talk about “2/14 on Hwy. 214” water is present, during the winter it hosts tens of thousands of sand- plan for educating travelers hill cranes. The cranes are most visible at dawn and at dusk, as they about the food, fuel, and fiber leave the lakes during the day to feed in nearby fields. route of the South Plains. Other wildlife includes wood warblers, meadowlarks, raptors, burrowing owls, blacktailed prairie dogs, jackrabbits, cottontail rab- Approx. 22 miles bits, coyotes, and badgers. The prairie ecosystem includes plant life such as wildflowers, grasses, yucca, cacti, and mesquite. Rangeland TO MAPLE management techniques include controlled burning and grazing. All Leaving Muleshoe NWR, turn S of this ecosystem is a part of “La Pista de Vida Agua,” an intercon- (right) onto TX 214. At Enochs nected series of “living water” trails followed by wildlife and, eventu- we’ll take a short loop W over to ally, humans through this region. Maple, where there is a lavender field. FM 114 will bring us MAPLE back E into Morton.

A brief side trip around this loop to see a lavender field Approx. 10 miles

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 29 TO MORTON Coming into Morton in FM 114, MORTON note Cochran County Court- BOLL WEEVILS NOT WELCOME house on L (100 N. Main St.) In Cochran County’s bid to transform an early ranching empire Circle the block to pass by Tex- into a more equitable agricultural community in the early 1900s, a as’s Last Frontier Museum (108 flier was sent out to prospective farmers touting Cochran County SW 1st St.) and QPT arrows. land, offered at $20 per acre, as ideal cotton growing soil. It’s most attractive attribute according to the pamphlet? “No boll weevils”. The Approx. 18 miles irony, lost on many, was that land absent cotton (the boll weevil’s pre- ferred crop) is also land absent the agricultural pest. By 1924, Cochran In Cochran County, we remem- County had its farmers and was well on its way to having boll weevils ber the fallen men of the Buffalo as well. But, in the meantime, Morton (Cochran County seat) had a Soldier Tragedy of 1877, who land boom on its hands. perished in drought and sum- In 1926, the Texas Telephone Company moved the county’s first mer heat this week 142 years telephone office to Morton, connecting the county seat to the mod- ago. ern age. The building outgrew company use in 1949 and now houses the county’s Texas’ Last Frontier Historical Museum. The Dust Bowl descended on Morton and Cochran County just as it did the rest of the Great Plains. Relief came, in part, courtesy of the Civil Conservation Corps who moved a camp of 175 young men from nearby Littlefield to Morton in 1941. The crew battled wind and water erosion with efforts like fence-building and tree-planting. Today, Morton continues to serve the agricultural industry, providing a center for farming supplies as well as financing. Cochran County is also the location of a Texas historical marker honoring the men of the Buffalo Soldier tragedy of 1877. On July 26 that year, African American troops — known as Buffalo Soldiers — from Co. A of the 10th Cavalry began to pursue a Comanche party. During the pursuit, the Comanches led the troops away from water holes as the expedition traveled through Cochran and other counties. After Several days without water, Capt. Nicholas Nolan led his dehydrated soldiers and remaining animals back to Double Lakes in Lynn County; they arrived on July 30, having gone 86 hours without water. Several soldiers left camp in search of water and four died during the expedition: Pvt. John H. Bonds; Pvt. Isaac Derwin; Pvt. John Isaacs; and Pvt. John T. Gordon.

TO WHITEFACE WHITEFACE AND LEVELLAND Continue SE on FM 114 to According to the Handbook of Texas, the name of the town came Whiteface, curving around from rancher C. C. Slaughter’s Whiteface Camp and Whiteface Pas- toward Levelland. Coming ture, which were named in turn for the cattle on his ranch. By 1924, into Levelland, turn S (right) Slaughter’s son-in-law, Ira P. DeLoache, turned the ranch into the new onto Av. H. through downtown, community of Whiteface. noting mosaic murals, Burklee The community was moved several miles the next year to be at Hill Winery, and Main Street the railroad. Oil was discovered near the town in 1937. It was incor- signage. porated in 1945.

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 30 IN LEVELLAND LEVELLAND At H and 11th St. turn L into Visitor Center beside Lobo Levelland, a Texas Main Street city, makes sure that visitors and Lake for a photo op at mural or residents alike know about the city’s achievements. Among Lev- QPT Arrow, and refreshments elland’s Main Street accoutrements are seasonal banners, rotated and greeting from Main Street throughout the year to announce citywide events; gateway signage Levelland. at each of the four city entrances; and the installation of courthouse benches and pavers installed around the entrances to the Hockley Approx. 27 miles County courthouse, centerpiece of Levelland and Hockley County seat. In addition, the city hosts a downtown historical walking tour each May in honor of National Preservation Month. Levelland has a lot of history to share despite the fact that by Texas standards it’s a fairly young community, surveyed in 1912 but developed beginning in 1921, the year the county organized. But the city wasted little time in advancing the interests of both the county and its residents. Today, Levelland hosts festivities and programs year-round designed to celebrate its history and feature its Main Street including Christmas on the Square and a summer concert series called “Sounds of Texas.” Downtown has recently welcomed a winery and a pie shop, in addition to its reopened Wallace Theater. Thanks to the numerous TO SMYER mosaic murals installed locally by South Plains College artists and Depart Levelland via 13th St. others, Levelland has earned the nickname “City of Mosaics.” heading west and crossing US 385 to Brashear Lake Park and SMYER turning N on Sherman Ave., which will run back into TX Smyer is the home of Bolen Vineyards, which grow Malbec, Merlot 114. Turn R onto 114; pass vine- and Mourvèdre grapes for Messina Hof Winery in Bryan. It is only one yards in the Smyer area. of the many vineyards thriving in the sandy soil of the western South Plains, due to ideal climate and soil conditions. Approx. 13 miles

TO LUBBOCK LUBBOCK REDUX Return to Lubbock via TX 114, through the historic Carlisle Back to Lubbock Lake Landmark and farewell till our next adventure! community.

Approx. 20 miles

IN LUBBOCK At intersection with W Loop 289, proceed under Loop and turn N (left) onto Loop 290. Travel to Clovis Rd. exit; turn R and cross highway onto N. Indiana; make immediate L onto Landmark Dr. to return to Lubbock Lake Landmark.

A Guide to the Texas Plains Trail • July 2019 • page 31 https://texasplainstrail.com/plan-your-adventure/caravan-2019